Hello

See a Nervous Adele Crack up During Her X Factor Performance of “Hello”

It’s been less than two months since Adele debuted her smash single “Hello” but, to borrow a phrase from that song, she must have performed it a thousand times since. That doesn’t mean the accomplished singer never gets nervous. It’s true that for most of her pre-taped rendition of “Hello” in front of a massive crowd on the U.K. version of The X Factor, Adele was in full powerhouse diva mode.

But right at the end, as the giddiness of the evening got to her, Adele lost her cool ever so slightly.

In a post-performance interview with host Olly Murs, Adele explained why she was so unsettled by the experience. “I’ve honestly been waiting, like, half my life to do this. I’m so excited to be here . . . I wanted to burst out laughing the whole time. I did at the end.” Adele, apparently a huge X Factor fan, used the show to enigmatically promote her new album back in October. When asked if she had any advice for contestants on the show, Adele said, “Good luck! I haven’t got the nerve to stand up—I could never do that again, I don’t think. I couldn’t even look [the judges] in the eye.”

Much was made of the sleek new haircut Adele showed off during her X Factor performance. Though it’s only a blow-dried version of the short hair she debuted during the BBC Music Awards, it is something of a departure from the classic Adele look.

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Adele said she never gets recognized when she’s out on the street because she’s usually not in the famous big hair and meticulous make-up she wears to perform. She says maybe she’d get recognized “if I went out in full, done-up, hair-and-makeup drag. Which it is: borderline drag! I'm not brave enough to do it.” And when speaking with Vanity Fair in October, Adele’s “Hello” director, Xavier Dolan, said, “Adele’s look is meticulously thought through and completely of her own traits. She has such a powerful beauty, such an emotional voice, and the kohl, the hair, everything feels organically molded to her personality. I wouldn’t have changed a thing.”

So while Adele may not have drastically hacked her hair off, the volume on her X Factor style was definitely lower and the shape sleeker than what Dolan was describing. Are we gradually saying goodbye to Adele’s more exaggerated look and hello to the stripped down version that graced the cover of Rolling Stone?

Maybe not quite yet. But every time Adele let’s a bit of her warm, unpolished personality shine through—be it while pranking Adele impersonators or giggling on The X Factor—she only grows even more iconic.